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Judge says waterslide on which 10-year-old boy died can be torn down

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas judge says crews can begin tearing down a 17-story waterslide on which a 10-year-old boy was decapitated when his raft went airborne.

The Kansas City Star reports that Wyandotte County District Court Judge Robert Burns said Wednesday that the preservation of the Verruckt slide “traumatizes everyone.”

The 2016 death of Caleb Schwab at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, led to criminal charges against the company that built the slide and five people, including Schlitterbahn’s co-owner.

Delays in taking down the slide had stemmed from disagreements over which parts should be preserved as possible evidence.

Attorneys representing the owners of Schlitterbahn said preliminary deconstruction of Verruckt will start soon. The visible slide will likely start to come down by Nov. 1.